[Gaffer]

I watched the “Grapes of Wrath” last night...a poignant treatise on abject poverty and hope peppered with a Hollywood attitude against capitalism portraying farm owners and their overseer workers as thugs and union busters.

However, in our culture of today, the people who like to portray themselves as the Tom Joad of today aren't really interested in work of any form. They aren't even interested in relocating. They are only interested in locating the government check that they all feel (demand) they are entitled to.

[SubMareener]

If Romney wins, and we all stay involved, the boot of Government will be removed from the necks of Americans. If we have an energy boom in the whole country as they are having in North Dakota, then there will be enough revenue to pay off the debt and phase out Social Security.

[Rich21IE]

Pretty much says it all. Buchannan gets it right again. Western Civilization is doomed; actually, it has been for quite some time. We are in the twilight time, soon to enter the great, long night of decline.

[cicero2k]

The only silver lining would be the return of cheap energy.

That would get discretionary spending up and the multiplier would be high.

[Carry_Okie]

Everyone talks about how we are going to raise test scores. But, despite record and rising investments in education per student, no one in decades has found a way to do this consistently.

The fix for education is fairly simple, in fact, it is inevitable. Making it happen doesn't take "finding" as much as it takes the guts to do it.

[ßuddaßudd]

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[TChris]

I object to the use of the word "austerity", due to the manner in which it has been twisted and abused in Europe. It has become another Dem/Socialist/Lib code word and I think we should use something else instead.

How about "sanity"? ..."responsibility"? ..."accountability"?

Proper government can function just fine within a reasonable budget and by modest taxation. We know this is true because it's been done before... here!